2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (8) · Electrical System (3) · Fuel/Propulsion System (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Sorento Hybrid model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Trailer Hitches 2022-09-19 · campaign 22V703000 · 70,887 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Sorento, 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid (HEV), 2022-2023 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV), and 2017-2022 Sportage vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect the vehicle, and, as necessary, replace the fuse and/or tow hitch harness module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC249.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2022-06-23 · campaign 22V447000 · 17,199 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Sorento Hybrid and 2022 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
Fix: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 17, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC241. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 22V-127. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Service bulletins (59)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-08-28 · TSB_CLI049_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: partial repair – electrical a/c compressor - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the air
Electrical System 2026-05-28 · TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment system software update using update.kia.com - this bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable kia vehicles using the kia navigation updater available at update.kia.com. the software update may impr
Electrical System 2026-04-14 · TSB_ELE417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment software update procedure - this bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing usb for installation on applicable kia vehicles. the software downloads and usb preparation process is similar across all
Electrical System 2026-03-26 · WTY042_OWNR · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: owner notification (wty042) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is extending the new vehicle limited warranty coverage, to all owners, for repairs related to the horn assembly in certain 2021-2025 my sorento, 2021-2025 my sorento hybrid (hev), an
Electrical System 2026-03-24 · WTY042_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
warranty extension campaign: technical service bulletin: horn assembly inspection and replacement (wty042) - this bulletin provides information associated with the ‘warranty extension program’ (wty042) to inspect and, if necessary, replace the horn assembly on certain vehicles listed in the table be
Electrical System 2026-03-24 · WTY042_REIMB · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: reimbursement form (wty042) - this document is a reimbursement request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matter prior to the warranty extension campaign program launch.
Showing the 6 most recent of 59 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-07-15 · Unknown Or Other“recall sa512 was previously completed on my vehicle. the problem is happening again. since there are no open recalls, i am unable to get it fixed under the recall. …”
2025-01-21 · Engine“on [xxx] we were driving the kia at slow speed due to snow on the road when a warning light came on which we think said hybrid vehicle failure pull over. the car stopped and the traffic lane with the engine off. the car would not start and we were exposed to traffic. fortunately, we were on a country road at the time about a mile from our house and…”
2024-12-22 · Fuel/Propulsion System“there is a malfunction in the vehicles.computer system that gives a warning about low coolant level for the hybrid battery. it's been been seen by the kia dealer and the issue keeps arriving. …”
2024-06-09 · Engine“for a few days ( especially if is a hot day (over 80f) ) my 2021 kia sorento hybrid with 15,421 miles on it displays a "refill inverter coolant" message. i checked the coolant level and is ok. after my research, it seems that the factory put the wrong blue inverter coolant instead red (all other kia hybrid cars have red coolant) . i found out that…”
2024-05-05 · Unknown Or Other“my kia sorento will shift from drive to first or second gear’s several times. i’ve been told by the dealership that i’m probably touching the shifter accidentally, i disagree. my opinion is that this is a safety concern because it slows the vehicle down. my vehicle also at times does not accelerate. these two issues are intermittent. …”
2024-02-18 · Unknown Or Other“unknown. the “replace inverter coolant” warning message repeatedly comes on for unknown reasons and may be quickly reset to the “ready to drive” status by turning the vehicle off, opening the driver side door, putting my foot on the break pedal, turning the vehicle back on and closing the door before the system readiness cycle is completed. while…”
2023-05-21 · Unknown Or Other“intermittent message on dash "refill inverter coolant" been to dealer 6x and no fix. reported to kia corporate to work with dealer have been without this car several days …”
2023-03-13 · Trailer Hitches“the contact owns a 2021 kia sorento hybrid. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v703000 (trailer hitches); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacture…”
2023-01-10 · Electrical System:software“my kia 2021 hybrid ex has a message warning to "refill inverter coolant". took it to dealer and they said it's a software issue, but no remedy is available. …”
2022-09-02 · Engine“i have 2021 kia sorento hybrid, which a regular message stating that it needs to refill inverter coolant fluid keeps coming up, even though the car coolants level is full. this is not a new problem for the all the kia users that have this model. also, kia and their network of dealerships have known of this problem for over 1 yr and their standard …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.